TEDx Flanders was mind blowing

If you have never been to a TEDx event it is pretty hard to imagine what it is all about. If I told you that in between 7:45 am and 7 pm tonight I listened to 20 speakers, saw 4 performances, attended 2 workshops and spoke to several people I had never met before, the event might seem even more outrageous and crazy. I concur. TEDx Flanders was mind blowing. A day at TEDx leaves you mentally overwhelmed and exhilarated at the same time. I heard enough new things to fill up this blog for next couple of weeks. But just to give you a taste and maybe convince you to attend a TEDx event near where you live, here's a couple of things I learned today.

Waking up with a tai chi session (at 8 am!) can be energizing. Bart Moeyaert can give a hell of an introduction. There is such a thing as a hacker convention. Bhutan assesses its Gross National Happiness and attributes as much (or even more) value to it as it does to its GDP. Alexander Vantournhout should join Les 7 Doigts de la Main. Fiona Wood has created a solution to treat burn wounds much faster than ever before and she finishes her talk by saying: "You should wake up every morning and ask yourself 'Where to next?'" Mariame Clément is so passionate about opera that she made me book a ticket for one. I need to talk to my mayor about The City 2.0. Watson (the computer that won Jeopardy) will help our doctors to assess illnesses in the near future. Koala is a band to watch. If you want to tackle a problem, you should take a different road. A scary one: Our genetic code defines if we will get cancer, lose eyesight,... It even defines if we can handle coffee after 4 pm. And... you should not underestimate the power of baby steps.

The main conclusion: There are a lot of people out there that make a dent in the universe. And this is not referring to Stijn Meuris' talk. For the team I wish a good night's sleep, energy to carry on and a lot of patrons@tedxflanders.be!